VENTURA : Auto Racing Plans Will Be Unveiled
Developers of a sweeping entertainment and retail complex proposed behind the Ventura Auto Center will unveil plans today to host regional auto racing.
In an attempt to drum up support for the $100-million complex, organizers have invited several professional drivers and managers, and will display a number of race cars.
The 9 a.m. promotional event at the Wedgewood Banquet Center will follow a private breakfast at 7:30 a.m.
Dubbed the Centerplex, the project would combine a minor-league baseball stadium with an aquatic center, a retail shopping complex and an auto racing hall of fame on vacant land behind the struggling auto center.
Owners of the Ventura Auto Center say they need the attraction to boost sales, which have plummeted in recent years because of a lack of access to the car dealerships.
Project supporters have offered to donate most of the land for Centerplex, but said they would need as much as $45 million in public funds to finish the complex.
They plan to ask the Ventura City Council to sign a non-binding agreement to develop the center at its July 31 meeting.
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